Narcotics Can Be Safely Used To Ease Pain in Cancer Patients
The use of narcotic drugs is a scare to all and any mention of this draws mixed reactions, probably due to the well-known life threatening side effects that users of such drugs are exposing themselves to. However, in certain scenarios you may have to depend on these drugs to at least reduce your pain. In this case the narcotics are used with medical intentions having to be administered by a doctor who knows the right dosage as over-dosing may produce horrible side effects. To cancer patients, the narcotics are a necessity they can never run away from as they are very effective in reducing the intensity of pain they suffer, while ailing or undergoing certain treatments (chemotherapy for example)
The pain relieving drugs that are non-narcotics in nature are available, and include; Tylenol, Celebrex and Advil. These drugs are very useful in cancer treatment. However, they can only be effectively used for mild pains but cannot help much in reducing the great pains that most cancer patients have to go through. For this case, narcotic drugs become the only option for these patients. A lot of patients though, are scared of addiction to these drugs and thus repel the idea of the usage on them. But, legal narcotic pain medication can be used safely to reduce the pain in cancer patients without the risk of addiction.
The narcotics used in pain medication are all related to morphine but may come in different forms. The effects of these narcotic pain medication drugs vary in different patients and the different forms also have different side effects. Some of these drugs include; hydromorphone, roxicodone, codeine and fentanyl. These forms are also different in strength and while will take mere seconds to ease the pain, some may take up to an hour to reduce the pain. The drugs may come in forms of tablet, liquid or even as a suspension.
There is a known risk associated with misuse of these drugs and so it is important that the complex combination of these drugs be done by an authorized medical personnel who will be able to reduce the negative side effects of these drugs on the patients’ health while maximize on their benefits. In case of any unexpected side effects the patient is advised to seek the intervention of the doctor as the patient may react differently to the drug as other patients who had undergone the same treatment.
The doctor should monitor the progress of a patient on treatment and see if the patient is doing better with the medication. If the patient is still experiencing the intense pain, then the doctor will give a different combination of these drugs that will be able to reduce the pain and give the patient comfort. This calls for cooperation between the cancer patient and the doctor so that the patient can benefit from the medication.
The patient may at times have to use two different drugs, especially when the pain is continuous and sometimes becomes unbearable. The patient may use a narcotic drug that takes less time to ease the pain while still using the long term pain medication that is subscribed to her by her doctor. In most cases the patient will be in control of the other drug that he will use at certain times when the pain is intense to give her slight breakthrough from the pain. The narcotics that are entirely controlled by patients should not have adverse effects on the patient even if they take them beyond the recommended doses.
One of the discomforts that cancer patients on narcotic pain medication suffer most is constipation. It is therefore advisable that as you take narcotic pain medicines you should also take medicine that will help you evade constipation. If the constipation problem persist even after taking necessary measures, you should talk to your doctor about so that he may change your pain medicine for another that will least affect your bowel movements. It is also important that you avoid other relaxants when you are using narcotic pain medication. You should not take alcohol without discussing with your doctor as that may work against your medication.
There have been controversies about the use of narcotic drugs to control pain in cancer patients with many critics saying that the patient’s risks suffering an addiction. The truth however is when narcotic drugs are used as pain medication the doctors give required dosage that will not addict the patients. A patient is different from strict addict that may use the narcotic drugs to suppress depression or simply to get high. When used for medication the patient is not in control of the drug unlike in the case of a street addict who is in control of the amounts he takes. He can overindulge but a patient cannot since he uses the doctor’s subscription.
The issue of affordability features when you want to choose the pain medication to use. Most of these narcotic pain medicines are quite expensive and are mostly paid for by insurance cover plans. If you do not have an insurance policy and you find your drug too expensive, it is advisable to tell your doctor so that he may find you a more affordable alternative that is also effective.
It is good to seek information about narcotic pain medication to cancer patients from experienced doctors so that you will know the best course of action to take in case you or your loved ones are victimized by this disease. For this purpose, Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) has availed detailed information about cancer treatments on her website. If you are not suffering from this disease but you are affected in one way or the other. Get in touch with Dr. Dalal Akoury so that you may learn much on cancer management and be of help to this generation.
Narcotics Can Be Safely Used To Ease Pain in Cancer Patients
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